The cock crowed, and the yellow sun appeared at the beginning of a new day. The farm animals opened their eyes and stretched. The milkmaid sat up in her bed and yawned.
“I’m so tired. I want to go back to sleep,” she complained. But she crawled out of bed, got dressed, put on her shoes, fetched a pail, and walked over to the barn.
“Time to milk the cows again,” she grumbled. When the pail was full of fresh milk, she was surprised to see how creamy it was today, good for making butter. The milkmaid smiled and started walking toward the house, balancing the heavy pail on her head. She was walking carelessly, swishing from side to side.
"You'd better be more careful or you'll spill the milk," said the farmer.
The milkmaid just smiled as she started to imagine what she would do with this rich milk.
“I’ll make some good butter and take it to the market. Then I’ll buy some eggs with the money from the butter, which I will bring home and hatch," she dreamed. "The little chicks will grow into hens, which I can sell at the market. With all that money, I can buy myself a beautiful dress. I’ll wear the dress in the village, and everyone will admire me! Everyone will want to be my friend. I’ll be the most popular of all."
As she imagined herself in her beautiful dress, she tossed her head in a proud way. Then she cried out, for the pail slipped off her head and crashed to the ground, spilling milk all over.
“Oh, no! Now I won’t be able to make butter and sell it. I’ll never be able to buy the eggs, hatch the chicks, sell the hens, or buy the dress. Now I’ll never be the most popular girl in town, ever.”
The farmer had walked over to her. He heard her moaning and complaining about the milk, the eggs, the chickens, the dress, and the lost friends.
He shook his head. “Next time, don’t count your chickens before they hatch, milkmaid!”
LESSON PLAN
OBJECTIVES
Cognitive: Students will learn the difference between being responsible and being careless. Students will understand that it is important to have good goals, and that there are little steps that lead to the accomplishment of those goals. It is important to do each step well, in the right order, to meet a goal.
Affective: Students will feel sorry for the milkmaid, but will also realize that she needed to be more careful, doing each task well, not carelessly, in order to reach her goal.
Behavioral: Students will make goals, with the teacher’s help, and define the steps they need to take in order to reach their goals. The class could also have a goal that they work on together. It’s important to stress that being responsible means that we do our best to do each step well.
Class Session 1
Materials Needed: Ingredients to make a sandwich
Read the story to the students and show them the illustration.
Ask students what things in the story showed that the milkmaid was a little lazy and quite careless. Prompt them, if they need it, by saying that she complained and grumbled at the beginning of the story. Reread the sentences where she complained and grumbled. Then, if students don't mention it, point out that she did not listen well when the farmer told her to be more careful with the milk. Then, of course, she wasn't careful, and she spilled it.
Explain that, like the milkmaid, many people dream of a better, happier life. There is nothing wrong with having such dreams. Clarify that you are not talking about the dreams we have when we sleep, but the dreams we have of doing or being something great. Ask if students have ever dreamed of being an Olympic Gold Medal winner, or a famous singer, sports star, beauty queen, or president. Most people dream of such things.
Explain that some dreams aren't going to come true, but some dreams can come true if they work toward them carefully, doing all that they need to do. To work toward a dream like that means having a goal. It is like the goal in a sports game—it takes a lot of effort to get to it. People can't just dream about it and not do the work in front of them.
Ask students if the milkmaid could have made her dream come true if she had been more careful. Do students think she could have made the butter? Could she have sold the butter and bought some eggs? Could she have hatched some chicks, raised them into chickens, and then sold them? Affirm that she could have done all these things.
Comment that to make a dream come true, we have to do all the steps carefully, one by one.
Tell students you are a robot who can only do exactly what you are told. Bring out the sandwich-making materials. Ask students to tell you, step by step, how to make a sandwich. Do exactly as they say. If they say, "Put spread on the bread," then put the jar of spread right on top of the bread without opening it. They will laugh and go back to the first step: "Open the jar of spread."
When you have successfully made the sandwich according to their instructions, tell them you are back to being their teacher now. Emphasize again that, to finish something or get to your goal, you have to do things carefully, step by step.
Class Session 2
Remind the students of the story of the milkmaid. Mention what the farmer said at the end of the story: “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” What do students think this means? Listen to their answers and affirm any that are accurate. Then explain, briefly, that it means not to dream ahead too far but to take care of things step by step now. Remind them of the robot visitor they had last time, and how the robot had to do everything carefully, step by step.
Say, "Let’s think about some goals you could make. I’ll write a list of your ideas, and we’ll talk about the steps you need to make in order to reach the goals. Remember that each step is important, and that we need to do our best every day, as we take the steps to reach our goals. Here’s an example. Let’s say your goal is to improve in reading this year. What steps could you take to do that?"
Listen and affirm any good ideas. Gently point out any unrealistic ones and why they wouldn't work so well. Suggest, "You could do extra reading each day. If you practice everyday, and ask for help when you need it, by the end of the year, you will reach your goal. Along the way, you can ask me how you are doing, and I can make suggestions. At the end of the year, we’ll look at what you were reading in the beginning of the year and compare it to what you are reading at the end of the year. If you practice carefully everyday, you will see lots of progress. Do well in the little steps and you will succeed with your goal."
Mention another goal, such as becoming better at baseball. Ask students to name steps they could take to achieve such a goal. Affirm realistic ones; help students sort out which steps would come first.
“I’m so tired. I want to go back to sleep,” she complained. But she crawled out of bed, got dressed, put on her shoes, fetched a pail, and walked over to the barn.
“Time to milk the cows again,” she grumbled. When the pail was full of fresh milk, she was surprised to see how creamy it was today, good for making butter. The milkmaid smiled and started walking toward the house, balancing the heavy pail on her head. She was walking carelessly, swishing from side to side.
"You'd better be more careful or you'll spill the milk," said the farmer.
The milkmaid just smiled as she started to imagine what she would do with this rich milk.
“I’ll make some good butter and take it to the market. Then I’ll buy some eggs with the money from the butter, which I will bring home and hatch," she dreamed. "The little chicks will grow into hens, which I can sell at the market. With all that money, I can buy myself a beautiful dress. I’ll wear the dress in the village, and everyone will admire me! Everyone will want to be my friend. I’ll be the most popular of all."
As she imagined herself in her beautiful dress, she tossed her head in a proud way. Then she cried out, for the pail slipped off her head and crashed to the ground, spilling milk all over.
“Oh, no! Now I won’t be able to make butter and sell it. I’ll never be able to buy the eggs, hatch the chicks, sell the hens, or buy the dress. Now I’ll never be the most popular girl in town, ever.”
The farmer had walked over to her. He heard her moaning and complaining about the milk, the eggs, the chickens, the dress, and the lost friends.
He shook his head. “Next time, don’t count your chickens before they hatch, milkmaid!”
LESSON PLAN
OBJECTIVES
Cognitive: Students will learn the difference between being responsible and being careless. Students will understand that it is important to have good goals, and that there are little steps that lead to the accomplishment of those goals. It is important to do each step well, in the right order, to meet a goal.
Affective: Students will feel sorry for the milkmaid, but will also realize that she needed to be more careful, doing each task well, not carelessly, in order to reach her goal.
Behavioral: Students will make goals, with the teacher’s help, and define the steps they need to take in order to reach their goals. The class could also have a goal that they work on together. It’s important to stress that being responsible means that we do our best to do each step well.
Class Session 1
Materials Needed: Ingredients to make a sandwich
Read the story to the students and show them the illustration.
Ask students what things in the story showed that the milkmaid was a little lazy and quite careless. Prompt them, if they need it, by saying that she complained and grumbled at the beginning of the story. Reread the sentences where she complained and grumbled. Then, if students don't mention it, point out that she did not listen well when the farmer told her to be more careful with the milk. Then, of course, she wasn't careful, and she spilled it.
Explain that, like the milkmaid, many people dream of a better, happier life. There is nothing wrong with having such dreams. Clarify that you are not talking about the dreams we have when we sleep, but the dreams we have of doing or being something great. Ask if students have ever dreamed of being an Olympic Gold Medal winner, or a famous singer, sports star, beauty queen, or president. Most people dream of such things.
Explain that some dreams aren't going to come true, but some dreams can come true if they work toward them carefully, doing all that they need to do. To work toward a dream like that means having a goal. It is like the goal in a sports game—it takes a lot of effort to get to it. People can't just dream about it and not do the work in front of them.
Ask students if the milkmaid could have made her dream come true if she had been more careful. Do students think she could have made the butter? Could she have sold the butter and bought some eggs? Could she have hatched some chicks, raised them into chickens, and then sold them? Affirm that she could have done all these things.
Comment that to make a dream come true, we have to do all the steps carefully, one by one.
Tell students you are a robot who can only do exactly what you are told. Bring out the sandwich-making materials. Ask students to tell you, step by step, how to make a sandwich. Do exactly as they say. If they say, "Put spread on the bread," then put the jar of spread right on top of the bread without opening it. They will laugh and go back to the first step: "Open the jar of spread."
When you have successfully made the sandwich according to their instructions, tell them you are back to being their teacher now. Emphasize again that, to finish something or get to your goal, you have to do things carefully, step by step.
Class Session 2
Remind the students of the story of the milkmaid. Mention what the farmer said at the end of the story: “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.” What do students think this means? Listen to their answers and affirm any that are accurate. Then explain, briefly, that it means not to dream ahead too far but to take care of things step by step now. Remind them of the robot visitor they had last time, and how the robot had to do everything carefully, step by step.
Say, "Let’s think about some goals you could make. I’ll write a list of your ideas, and we’ll talk about the steps you need to make in order to reach the goals. Remember that each step is important, and that we need to do our best every day, as we take the steps to reach our goals. Here’s an example. Let’s say your goal is to improve in reading this year. What steps could you take to do that?"
Listen and affirm any good ideas. Gently point out any unrealistic ones and why they wouldn't work so well. Suggest, "You could do extra reading each day. If you practice everyday, and ask for help when you need it, by the end of the year, you will reach your goal. Along the way, you can ask me how you are doing, and I can make suggestions. At the end of the year, we’ll look at what you were reading in the beginning of the year and compare it to what you are reading at the end of the year. If you practice carefully everyday, you will see lots of progress. Do well in the little steps and you will succeed with your goal."
Mention another goal, such as becoming better at baseball. Ask students to name steps they could take to achieve such a goal. Affirm realistic ones; help students sort out which steps would come first.